What I Mean

Let’s step back and assess the value and meaning of things. What is fitness? According to Merriam-Webster, it’s a noun with the following first and second listed definitions: “the quality or state of being fit, and the capacity of an organism to survive and transmit its genotype to reproductive offspring as compared to competing organisms.” As with many words, the true meaning of the word “fitness” is debatable. Who determines what truly is and is not related to your personal fitness, in a wholistic sense? Most people with whom I’ve conversed on this topic agree; being fit not only means physical wellness and strength, but emotional and mental wellness and strength, too. I have to wonder if there is any one person reading this piece who would deny that the entire body and mind of a person is susceptible to training in the ways of strength and/or weakness. We accept that childhood obesity and diabetes relate to fitness, and we’ve come to welcome advice as to their prevention and treatment. We accept alcoholism as a disease, thus it has become a fitness related topic. We comfortably accept advice about drinking in moderation. We appreciate tips on how to recognize symptoms of, and how to prevent getting the flu, how to recognize and prevent bullying, child and teen suicide and various types of cancer, albeit some attempts to identify and prevent certain types of metaphysical cancer aren’t always appreciated, are most definitely debatable and have traditionally been touchy subjects. (Metaphysical speaks to the non-physical body.) Yes, it’s painful to have a broken bone realigned and set. It’s painful to step into the gym when you’ve weighed nearly 300 pounds for most of your life. It’s painful to open up and trust people, if you suffer from crippling anxiety. Recognizing symptoms of brokenness, weakness, illness, pain, anxiety and fear are necessary to wholistic fitness. Broken things mend better when handled with tender and deliberate care, over time. The fitness of the entire living body must be viewed in the context of a long-term path, requiring a lifetime of effort and discipline to follow. Sometimes the road seems too long and hard, so roughly half of us leave any given fitness program path within six months of beginning. That’s OK. There’s time to get back on the path. Like pain in a broken bone signals something is out of balance in the physical body, consider that fear, anger and castigation are symptoms when something is out of balance in the metaphysical body. Each body part affects how the others function. In a greater sense, the societal body is the sum of its parts, working together in harmony…or out of balance. This is my assessment; my value; my meaning.

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